Vivo Locco
by Skooter
Summary: AU The summer before their seventh year Ginny decides that a simple relationship isn't enough for Hermione and Ron. Chaos soon follows but not with the target couple. As their romance develops, Ginny's life begins to fall apart.
1. Chapter 1

_I've been talking to my friend Animagus and I was going to finish off the old story... but I read through it to see where I left off and I found that my writing skills were so... great. :D So I decided that I was going to start over and write it all over again. I hope that it meets everyone's expectations. Don't forget to review if you liked it, and even if you didn't. It's probably AU, because I wrote the original story before book four I believe. _

The sun was just starting to rise over the mountains as the large, black bird flew over them. Having traveled for many hours to reach its destination, the owl flew faster to reach the ragged house that was just ahead. The bird flew around the house several times, before finding the right window and landing smoothly on the sill. Silently, it waited for the girl inside to come, but she was fast asleep. Fiery, red hair was spread out around her head, and her body was awkwardly positioned. The bird stared into the room, quietly willing her to wake, and after a few moments it began to impatiently tap on the glass.

Ginny sighed and rolled over, staring at the owl that was just outside her window. After stretching and rolling off the bed, she crept over to let the messenger in. The owl flew in as the window crept open and landed on the small bedside table. The bird was magnificent, with long, sleek, feathers, and a huge beak, which made it look a lot like her potions teacher, Professor Snape. She giggled at the thought as she removed the parchment from the bird's left leg and tore at the envelope to get to the letter inside. After rereading it several times, she ran to the door in excitement to share the news with anyone in earshot. As she entered the hallway she collided with something very solid and fell to the floor with a thud.

"Oh, sorry, Gin." Ginny reached up and rubbed her head as glared at her older brother.

"Yeah, sure you are." She picked herself up off the floor and turned to walk away from him, but he stopped her before she could make it very far.

"Wait, Ginny I really am sorry." He grabbed her arm and plastered a grin on his face, but his eyes were still very uncertain as he awaited her reaction. "Hey, uh...Was that Hermione's owl that I saw fly out your window?" Pulling her arm from his grip, she turned back to face him. Her brother was obviously in love with Hermione, he just hadn't gotten around to admitting it yet. The thought of the book-worm and her brother made her smile, and she decided that she was going to give him a little push in the right direction.

"Even if it was, why would you care?" As Ron's face turned bright red, Ginny knew she had hit the nail right on the head.

"I… wouldn't… She's one of my best mates, okay? Don't I have the right to be worried about my mates?" He said, using the guise of rubbing his nose to look away from her and cover his face. Silence filled the air between them, and Ginny turned to leave again. "What did she say?" The desperate plea stopped her once again, and she pulled the very important news from memory.

"Hermione's plans have changed a bit, and she's coming to visit us sooner than we all expected. That's all." Ginny prided herself on sounding very nonchalant, and she could tell she had succeeded in making Ron irritated and flustered

"How early?" He was trying to hide nervousness, but as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, she knew he was losing his battle.

"Umm, let me think." Ginny hesitated, enjoying watching him squirm. "I believe that she wrote this afternoon; around four o'clock." The look of sheer horror on his face delighted Ginny, and she almost gave in to a fit of laughter.

"Why that's only... Five hours? Are you sure?" The shocking moan echoed through the house, as Ginny left Ron in the middle of the hall way.

Walking up to one of her favorite places, Hermione studied the sturdy, little house and sighed, relief spreading through her veins. The extra classes she had taken over the summer were starting to catch up with her, and she needed a break. There was no guarantee of that here, but she felt better when Ron and Harry were around.  
Before she could raise her hand to knock on the door, it shot open, and Hermione was engulfed with brightly colored Weasleys.

"Welcome Back!" Screamed the twins, as they set off a fire cracker just outside the door, behind Ginny, and fled the scene. Mr. Weasley sent a threatening look in their direction and set off in after them to right the situation.

"Don't mind them. It's so good to see you, dear." Always cheerful, Mrs. Weasley pulled Hermione into a big bear hug, and held her tight, as if to make sure everything was still in the right place. "All in one piece, and looking absolutely wonderful." Her bountiful hair was pushed into her skull, as Mrs. Weasley patted her head.

"It feels great to be back." Her reply was barely audible, forcing Mrs. Weasley pull away. Ron watched from the edge of the door and smiled at the interaction between the two; it wasn't long ago that his mom didn't even like Hermione. As if she could read his thoughts, Hermione glanced his way and blushed a pale pink.

"Hello, Ron." She turned away from the rest of his family and walked to him.

"Hey, 'Mione." Ron said, blushing. Their eyes met and the friction between them only lasted a few seconds before they both looked away. Ginny watched from the staircase and rubber her hands together in a rather evil way and congratulated herself. This was going to be the easiest match she ever made.

"Hermione!" She yelled to catch the couple off-guard, and they both jumped a good four inches off the ground. Ginny's target glanced up just in time to see the blaring siren coming at her before she was tackled to the ground.

"Ugh... Hello, Ginny" Tangled arms and legs were pulled and pushed until the two girls were finally separated. Hermione laid on the floor to catch her breath and smiled when her best friend appeared over her.

"Glad I missed that one, it looks like it hurt." He extended his hand to help her up, and Hermione gladly accepted it. As Ron pulled her towards her, her breath caught in her throat and she collided with the other red-head. As soon as she touched him, she withdrew from him like he was boiling water. Hermione turned away from Ron to Ginny and smiled.

"You scared me to death." Holding her hand up to her chest, she watched Ginny push herself up off the floor. Dusting the imaginary dirt from her shirt, Hermione found that she was able to hide her flaming face from Ron with ease. "So, am I staying in your room again?" The thought had crossed Hermione's mind several times since she had decided to come early. There was a chance that she would have to stay in Percy's room, which was conveniently located right across from Ron's room and nice to have a room to herself, but she liked the late-night talks she had with the littlest Weasley when they shared a room.

"Yes, if you want to. The only problem is that Ron took the spare bed from the closet to his room already for Harry. I was going to bring the one from the attic down for you, but we don't have much time today. I was really planning on doing it tomorrow…" The words raced out of her mouth, and she glared at Ron one moment and then gave him her best wounded puppy look the next. His eyes rolled, and he gave an exasperated sigh; his shoulders sagging with defeat.

"Okay, okay. Don't give me that look, you know I can't stand that sad little face. I'll move it down from my room, but only if you bring the other one down for Harry _tomorrow_. Deal?" He held out his rather large hand and Ginny's shot out and back like lightning.

"Deal. And you can't change your mind." Grabbing one of Hermione's bags, she sped off before Ron could reply and began her excursion up the stairs with Hermione on her heels. The climb to Ginny's room was not a long one, but she entered the room feeling a little winded. The room seemed much smaller to her than it was the last time she was there, and she looked at the red head in amazement.

"You've redecorated." She dropped her bags to the floor, where they were momentarily forgotten. Ginny smiled and turned around in the middle of the room, studying the changes that she had made at the beginning of the summer.

"Actually, all I did was move my bed and dresser around, painted the wall, and added a few plants here and there." Hermione walked into the middle of the room and circled next to Ginny. She was blown away. There were flowers in full bloom, painted on the wall and real ones, everywhere and plants scattered around the room. "It's amazing. How did you manage it?" She questioned Ginny with her bushy eyebrows still raised in shock.

The other girl laughed and gave her friend a little push and launched into her explanation. "Well, mom helped me a bit with the plants, but she told me that if I wanted to do it I had to do it myself. So I coerced dad to get me some paint, and everything just fell together from there." They talked about the changes Ginny had made, including the hand-painted flowers, the refurbished furniture, and the hand-sewn accessories, until Ron finally managed the rolling bed through the doorway and across the room. After pushing the bed into the corner of the room, he rubbed his eyes and shook his head.

"I just can't get used to it being so dark in here, it's just weird." He sighed and walked over to touch the walls. He looked back over and stared at Ginny. "I'll always remember your room being bright pink with elephants across the top of the walls," he chided, and as he exited the room, Ginny gave him a sound punch to the arm.

"I absolutely love it, Gin." She walked over to the fold-out bed and began to pull it out. Ginny meandered over to help her, but the bed was already unfolded, the sheets fixed, and the blanket spread out on top of the mattress by the time she got there. "In fact," Hermione popped down on top of the spare bed and folded her hands on her lap. "I would choose this over pink elephants any day." Ginny picked up one of Hermione's bags and tried to chuck it at her, making sure that she didn't do too much damage.

"Good grief. What do you have in there? It weighs a ton." Hermione laughed and moved out of the bags path and let it land on top of the bed.

"The usual stuff. Clothes, books, mostly homework," she unzipped the bag and began to pull the contents out and place them on the bed next to her, "I'm so glad that my classes are over, but I still have all of my other homework from Snape, McGonnagal, and everyone else that still has to be done. It's just a pain, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." There was a silence as the Ginny moved across the room and sat down at the head of the bed and leaned back against the wall. The quiet got to Hermione, and she turned away from the piles of clothes she had just been folding to look at her friend.

Before she could think twice about it, Hermione let the problem that had been stuck in her head for months flood out of her. "Viktor asked me to marry him. After I've graduated, of course." Caught of guard by the announcement, Ginny's jaw dropped, and her mind went blank. There was more than just a moment's pause before she could find her voice. She hadn't expected anything like this to happen. Knowing Hermione, she might just be stupid enough to tell Krum yes.

"He what?"

"Viktor asked me to marry him after I graduate." Hermione repeated, her patience beginning to wear thin.

"You don't graduate… oh my god. You graduate this year." The realization hit Ginny like a load of bricks and the bushy haired girl nodded solemnly. "What did you tell him?"

Hermione sat very still, deliberating how to break the news to Ginny. She had spent months thinking about it, but her final decision just felt right.

"I told him no." Ginny let out a sigh of relief and jumped across the bed to hug her friend, knocking several piles of stuff off the bed.

"Oh. Hermione, you don't know how happy I am to hear that." The bear-grip she had on Hermione loosened and she pushed away, realizing what she had just done. "Why did you tell him no?" Trying to fish around for the answer wasn't very hard for Ginny, but she felt bad trying to weasel more from her friend.

"Well, I'm only seventeen, and I can't make that kind of life decision yet. I just," Hermione was up on her feet and arguing with herself, just as Ginny had seen her do so many times before. "I don't want to be tied down, you know? There are places to go and people to see, like the world! I want to see every part of the world! Viktor doesn't want to go anywhere. He wants to stay in Bulgaria." Hermione stopped pacing for a minute, blew the hair out of her face and gave the girl on the bed a rather exasperated look. "Bulgaria, Ginny." Realizing that she had her hands clenched in fists and was shaking, Hermione took a deep breath and muttered something that sounded like "Bulgaria".

"What else is there? Besides Bulgaria." Ginny stayed still on the bed and asked her question with a great deal of ease, almost like she had done this a million times before.

"What do you mean?" Hermione's brows burrowed together and the frown on her face deepened.

"I thought you really liked Viktor. He isn't that bad; he would travel the world with you, if you wanted him to. And he adores you; you know that. What else is there besides Bulgaria?" Ginny's eyes softened as she watched her friend search for an answer. With her hands once again fisted at her sides, she shrugged her shoulders.

"I do like Viktor. I guess I could marry him, but there's just one thing that's holding me back." Sitting back down on the bed, Hermione turned her back to the would-be psychiatrist.

"And what would that be?" Ginny jumped up off the bed and walked around to face her rather depressed friend. She put her hands on her knees, as she knelt in front of Hermione and awaited an answer.

"It's Ron." The reply was almost inaudible, but Ginny caught it with every ounce of strength she had. The only thing she could do was smile at her dear friend. She knew that this was going to work out perfectly.


	2. Chapter 2

1The two girls nearly jumped out of their skin as Ron pounded on the door.

"Gin, 'Mione. Time for dinner, Mom says we won't get to eat until you both grace us with your presence." He attempted to open the door, but doorknob only rattled. "Oh, great. You two had better hurry, I'm starved!" Silence, except for Ron's rather loud footsteps, echoed in Ginny's room.

"Well, I do suppose that we get going." Ginny hopped up from the floor and offered her friend her hand. "Now that I think about it, I haven't eaten all afternoon. I'm famished." Hermione sat like a cannon ball on the bed, not budging an inch.

"You won't tell him, will you?" The worry in her eyes was so deep, and Ginny was overcome with sympathy. She pulled the limp girl up onto her feet and dusted her own clothes off. She smiled at her friend and pulled her towards the door.

Before Ginny opened the door to let the rest of the world in, she turned around and looked her friend in the eye, "Hermione, in all the years that I've known you have either of us told our secrets?" As the other girl shook her head, Ginny's grin grew bigger. "See? Besides, if I told Ron, his head would get even bigger. We don't need that." The bushy-haired girl smiled and followed Ginny out of the room. When she got to the bottom of the staircase, she could smell the aroma of food in the air and urged her feet faster into the crowded kitchen. The seat across from the one Ginny had just filled was the only one left, so Hermione quickly shuffled over to the other side of the room.

"Oh, good. I was afraid that I was going to have to come up after you two." Mrs. Weasley said, as she placed fresh baked rolls on the table in front of Ginny.

"Yum. Mum, they look wonderful." Ginny reached for one, but her hand was swatted away by the creator.

"You know better. Guests first. Here you go, Hermione. Take as many as you would like. You're starting to remind me of Harry, as skinny as you are." With her cheeks bright pink, she gratefully accepted the basket of fresh-baked treats. Hermione grabbed a roll and set it down on her napkin, as the rest of the clan jumped into motion to get their share of food.

"Here you go, 'Mione." Ron smiled as she turned to look at him; in his outstretched hand was a plate brimming with food that she thought he had dished up for himself.

"Thanks, Ron. It really does look delicious." She set the plate down in front of her and picked up her fork to begin to eat. During the meal Ginny couldn't help but notice her friend glancing over at her brother across the table. Without realizing it, Ginny ate faster than usual, as she brain-stormed. When there was no more food on her plate, she thought about going for seconds, but then changed her mind, there were things that she needed to do, people she needed to convince, and a mission to accomplish.

"Daddy, can I be excused?" The mischievous glint in her eyes, gave her away, and her father became suspicious. Ginny was usually one of the last ones at the table, at least she was every time Hermione had eaten dinner with them. He swallowed his food and smiled at her.

"Honey," Mr. Weasley took a quick sip of water before going on, "dinner's not even half over. Some of us have barely begun eating." He motioned to his full plate and silently willed her not to leave.

Ginny nodded in agreement, knowing her dad wanted her to stay, but still went on. "Daddy, I'm not feeling very well. I think I might try to get a little more sleep tonight." Her eyes had begun to water and her bottom lip protruded just enough to give her a beaten-puppy look.

Arthur had given into this before, but he didn't see any harm in letting pass by once again. "Well, if you're going straight to bed, I guess you can go."

Ginny jumped up from the table and went to kiss her father on the cheek. He dodged her, and covered his mouth with his napkin.

"You'll not be kissing me if you're not feeling well," He said from behind his napkin. Ginny smiled, for he usually played along when he knew she was up to something, and kissed him anyways.

"I hate to be alone when I'm sick, Daddy, maybe you'll join me soon." She joked around with him, but quickly made her exit. There were plans that she needed to make, and she didn't have the slightest clue where to begin.

As Ginny left the chaotic room, Hermione couldn't help but wonder what was she up to. She had seen the glint in her eyes, but she was going to find out sooner or later. The thought stayed with her until she finished the very last bit of food on her plate.

"I think that I'll go check on Ginny and make sure that she's okay." As she pushed away from the table, Ron and the rest of the Weasley males stood up with her. Once again she blushed and walked around the table. "Oh sit down, you're all embarrassing me. You don't have to be so polite when I'm here." She managed to slip behind Ron without bumping into him and let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh nonsense. I taught them manners and they'll remember them while you're here, Hermione. Thank you for taking care of Ginny; however, I do think that she is just fine. Come back down when you're through with your investigation. I made some desert." Hermione just nodded and exited the room quickly. She climbed the steps two at a time to get to Ginny's room faster, and nearly collided with the door in her haste to get in. The door opened with a bang and Hermione flew inside. Her hair flew around her head, and she muttered a curse at it, as she pushed it out of her eyes. Ginny was already tucked into bed, fast asleep, as Hermione crossed the room to her bed.

"Okay, Ginny, what's going on." She nearly screamed it, but she knew that the walls were paper thin in the Burrow. The sleeping girl rolled over and raised her eyebrows over her closed eyelids.

"Huh?" She peeked one eye open, trying to gauge Hermione's suspicion. After a few moments, Ginny opened both eyes and searched her friends face. "What are you talking about. I'd just gotten to sleep, too. What's the matter with you?" The sleepy red-head sat up and rubbed her eyes to glare at her friend.

"You're the one that I'm worried about. Why did you leave dinner early? You're fine. I know you are." Hermione folded her arms in front of her and sat stubbornly, until she got her answer. Ginny knew her plan was going to work, but she had to skirt around her friend's intellegence.

"Well, you're the one that tells me every time that I don't feel well to lay down and get some sleep, I was just taking your advice." The alarm went off in her head when the other girl's shoulders slumped and she bowed in defeat.

"Alright then, do you have a stomach ache? Your mum made desert." Ginny nodded her head and held onto her stomach.

"Not really a stomach ache, more like cramps. Major cramps." Seeing that Hermione was just a little flustered, Ginny giggled just a bit. "I'll be alright. It's not like I'm dying or anything like that. You've had them before, they're just really bad right now." With her face turning red, Hermione jumped up off the bed and headed for the door. She had never had this private of a conversation with Ginny, and she was more than just a little uncomfortable.

"Well then, if you don't want any desert, I'll go tell your mom. Get some sleep." She flipped off the light and closed the door behind her, breathing a sigh of relief that she didn't have to talk about _that _anymore. There wasn't very many things that Hermione couldn't talk about, but the birds and the bees, human digestive activities, and feminine disorders were definitely at the top of that list. The stairway seemed to close in on her as she fought to get rid of that scene floating through her mind. As she entered the kitchen once again, she found that the table had been cleared and a large pumpkin pie had been placed in the center of the table, with the rest of the Weasleys gathered around it, with their mouths opened wide. She giggled at the sight and sat down next to Ron. The aroma drifted to her nostrils, and Hermione soon found her own mouth watering.

"I hope you don't mind, but I remember you saying that it was your favorite." Mrs. Weasley said, as she place a large slice with whipped cream slathered on top in front of Hermione. She had to resist the urge to dive in, as the rest of the family received their own slice. When Mrs. Weasley sat down with her own generous slice, everyone quickly began their quest to find the bottom of their plate.

While everyone else was busy stuffing their mouths, Ron watched Hermione fiddle around with her pie, only taking a bite every now and then. A blush crept over his cheeks, when she raised her gaze from her plate and met his full on. He smiled quickly and looked away, trying to make it look like he'd only just looked up as well, but he knew that Hermione was too smart for that and that she would catch on to him one day.

_Get over yourself, Weasley_, he silently cursed himself, _She's your best friend; doesn't and won't ever see you that way._ With all the force he could muster, without breaking his mother's plate, he sliced off a rather large piece of pumpkin pie and shoved it into his mouth.

"Well, Ron, I'm so glad that you enjoy Mum's homemade pie. It looks as though it's been massacred." The sly comment came from George, who was thanking his lucky stars that he was at the opposite end of the table, for the death glare in Ron's eyes told him if he had been a little closer, he would have been dead.

Mrs. Weasley jumped in before any more damage could be done, saying, "Now, boys, it looks like you're done, so clean up your plates and get out of the house. You just need some fresh air, that's all." Setting the example for the rest of them, she picked up her plate and headed towards the sink. The Weasley brothers mimicked her actions and soon the room was empty, except for Hermione, who had yet to finish her pie. Willing herself to finish quickly, Hermione couldn't help but smile when she reminded herself of Ron, by eating half of her piece in one bite. Quietly, she got up from the table to place her dirty plate in the sink with the rest of the china being scrubbed harshly by a haunted scrub-brush.

A yell from outside the window drew her attention, and she watched as the brothers began a vigorous game of Quidditch on the small home made practice field just down the hill from the Burrow. There had been times that she wished she had Ginny's, Katie's, Angelina's, or Alicia's athletics skills, but the desire threatened to overwhelm her, as she watched Ron fly around the makeshift goal posts with a very deceiving grace. He made it look easy, flying around like his broom was part of his body. With a large sigh, Hermione glanced down at the hardwood floor and turned away from her dream.


	3. Chapter 3

The aroma of bacon, eggs, and toast rose up the stairway as Hermione stood at the top of the steps. There must have been a spell that Mrs. Weasley conjured over the house that magnified the smell of her cooking. As she started down the steps, Hermione made a mental note to ask the mother figure, for she would one day hope to be able to do the same for her own house. However, she would have to marry a good cook, or else the whole house would always smell of smoke; cooking had never been her strong point.

The bottom of the stairs seemed to appear before her, and she nearly fell because she had been lost in her dreams of one day having a family of her own. Grabbing onto the wall for support, Hermione made her way around to the kitchen, and nearly fell again when she saw Ron standing at the stove with nothing on but his boxer shorts. He glanced away from the pans to find Hermione almost drooling and red as a beet.

"Good morning, Hermione. I didn't think that you'd wake up for a while." He blushed a deep red, but kept working on the food cooking in front of him. "Uh, sorry, I think that mum must have got my dirty laundry last night. I couldn't find any clothes this morning." Surprised that he had managed to embarrass himself even more, he promptly shut his mouth.

"Oh, uh. Well, it's fine. What are you cooking? It smells delicious." She sat down at the nearest counter and felt relieved to be off her unstable feet.

"Well, just the usual. Eggs, bacon, and my favorite: french toast." As if to emphasize the last dish, he flipped over the soggy bread to show that the other side had turned a light brown from the heat. "Would you like some?" He started placing some food on a dish, without waiting for her answer. The overstocked plate nearly fell to the floor when Ron placed it in her hand. Hermione steeled herself against the flood of emotions that flowed through her as Ron awaited her reaction.

"Come on, eat up. I want to know what you think." She shook her head and backed away from him, trying to get a hold on the thoughts racing through her head. "What? Why not? Aren't you hungry?" Ron followed after her, chasing her around the counter and over to the table, where Hermione found another seat to keep her off her unsteady feet.

Even though he looked as if he was going to strangle her, Ron held his temper at bay. Hermione smiled and let a small giggle ripple through her body, as the emotions running across his face changed from anger to confusion.

"Ron, I need a fork, unless you want me to get my hands dirty." He felt a smile at his lips and couldn't believe that he had forgotten to give her a utensil. Rushing back over to the cooking area, he rummaged around in several drawers before finding his mother's favorite silver wear set. Before returning to Hermione's side, he remembered to flip the food still cooking on the stove.

"Here you go." He handed the fork over to Hermione and took the seat on the opposite side of her. Waiting eagerly for some sort of feedback, Ron rested his forearms on the table in front of him and held his own hand like it was going to fall off if he let go. As Hermione placed a rather large bite of toast into her mouth, a million different tastes ran across her tongue; eggs and bread, yes, but there was cinnamon, sugar, and just a hint of almonds floating across her palette. A groan escaped from her full mouth and she closed her eyes in ecstasy. It was better than good, it was probably the best thing that she had ever tasted. Ron smiled with pleasure as Hermione took another large bite.

"Well, how is it?" He was nearly out of his seat and across the table, before she spoke.

When she finally managed to think of a way to describe it, she told him with food still in her mouth, "It's better than anything I've ever tasted in my whole life. I wish I had this kind of talent. Ron, I didn't even know that you could cook, let alone make something this... this..." she swallowed the food that was in her mouth before saying what was on her mind, "delicious."

Ron beamed with happiness and jumped up onto his feet. When the smell of smoke crept over to his nose, he ran away from the table.

"Hold that thought." He managed to get out as he rushed away. With a couple of quick motions, he had the stove turned off, food on a plate, and two glasses of water in his hand to accompany their meal. Moving back over to the table, Ron sat down across from Hermione and set his plate in front of him.

"You know a lot of cooks don't like to eat after they put so much effort into making the food." Hermione said, picking a piece of bacon up and shaking it at him to punctuate her fact.

"Really?" Ron said, surprised. When Hermione nodded, he mimicked her movement and went on, "I love to eat my masterpieces, in fact I love to eat any food." They both smiled as they shared the moment. Hermione knew that it could always be like this, but she wanted more than just a friendship from Ron. The longing swept over her again, it always managed to come at times when she was content with her life. Smiling, Hermione finished up the rest of her breakfast and pushed away from the table.

"Thanks, Ron. It was simply wonderful." Ron stood up and watched as Hermione blushed a light pink and turned away to go back upstairs. It was then that he realized that he was still only in his boxers.

"Great." He said to himself and dropped his head into his hands. His skin stretched, as he rubbed his face and brought his chin up to rest on his hands. At this rate, he was never going to get Hermione to think of him as more than just a friend. Quietly he finished up his breakfast and went upstairs to take a shower. Maybe that was what he needed, a good, long, and very cold shower.

The sunlight crept through the window and across Ginny's pillow, as she watched Hermione walk across the back yard out her window. Where the older girl was going, she didn't know, but she knew she had to get Ron out there. The sound of the bathroom door opening across the hallway caught her attention, without thinking Ginny ran across the room and stopped herself before the threw the door open. Instead of jumping out into the hallway, she took a deep breath and turned the doorknob slowly. Acting like she had just gotten out of bed, Ginny made her entrance into the hallway with a flourish. She rubbed her eyes and acted with such grace that a famous movie star would have been impressed with her skills.

Ron stared at his sister, who was still in her robe and pajamas. With his most charming smile plastered on his face he watched as Ginny winced.

"I never knew why you were such a morning person. Okay, quit smiling. I know you saw Hermione this morning, but you don't have to be so bloody happy about it." Ron's grin fell away as his little sister pushed past him and slammed the bathroom door in his face.

Walking over to the sink, Ginny mentally congratulated herself; it was going to be a piece of cake getting those to knuckle-heads together. The look on Ron's face when she said something about Hermione definitely meant that he had something more than just friendship in mind for Hermione, but he was trying to hide it. Well, not for much longer if she had anything to do with it, and right now Ginny knew that she was right in the middle of it all.

After filling the sink with water, she splashed her face with the cool water and gently rubbed. Thinking of ways to get the two lovebirds alone, she flew through her morning routine and made her way up to Ron's room. She tapped lightly on the door and opened it without permission.

"Ron?" She said as she peeked her head around the side of the door.

"What? Come to harass me more? Well, let's hear it." Ron was sitting on his bed, with his foot propped up to tie his shoelace. He didn't bother to look up, just simply kept tying. After he had knotted the laces a couple dozen times, he put his foot back down on the floor and stood up. Since he was several inches taller than her, Ginny had to tilt her head up to talk to him.

"Listen, I'm sorry. I'm just not a morning person. You know that. I'm really sorry. Forgive me?" Once again Ginny pulled out her puppy-dog pout and got her way.

"Do you think you could get up with a smile on your face once? Just once?" Ron walked over to her and gave her a quick hug. "I wasn't even mad at you, just myself. Don't worry about it." Ginny smiled into her brother's chest and took a deep breath of Ron's cologne. She grinned even more because Ron never wore cologne; she knew he was trying to impress Hermione and that helped her cause even more.

"Still up for practice this morning? I'll meet you down at the pitch." Without getting a confirmation, she pulled away from him, smiled and raced off down the hallway. Usually they met down at their broom shed, but Ginny had this feeling that she wasn't going to be the one meeting Ron down there today. She ran into her bedroom and headed for her dresser, pulling out a floral sun dress and waited for Ron's huge footsteps to sound down the hallway. As soon as they were at the bottom of the stairs, Ginny darted across the hall to the bathroom and turned on the shower as soon as the door was fastened securely and her clothes were on the floor. Making sure that she cleaned every inch of her body preoccupied her thoughts for a good fifteen minutes, until she couldn't find anymore soap.

After she had dressed, put on a dab of make-up, and done her hair, Ginny looked into the mirror and admired her handiwork. If only Hermione would let her play with those bushy locks, she was sure that Ron would fall hard – and fast. The only thing standing in her way of doing that was the bushy-haired girl, herself. Ginny knew that Hermione had never cared about her looks and neglected her own looks; she had a lot of potential, if she would only care just a little bit.

Flipping the light switch down on her way out of the bathroom, Ginny didn't make any stops on her way to the kitchen. The smell of Ron's breakfast still hung in the air, and Ginny cursed herself for missing it, because her brother's breakfast was her favorite. Wandering over to the stove, she pulled a pan out of the cupboard and set it on top of the range. Seeing that her brother had been kind enough to leave the eggs, milk, and other ingredients out for their mother, she set to work. Even though she had spent many meals cooking with her mother, she had never been able to master the foods that her brother specialized in. As the bacon began to sizzle in the pan, Mr. Weasley waltzed into the kitchen.

"Good morning, my dear." He said, kissing her on the cheek and heading over to the table.

"Well, someone's in a good mood this morning. You must have gotten lucky last night." Ginny teased. Her father turned bright red and turned to the owl that had just flown through the window with a newspaper attached to it's long leg.

"That's not your business, Gin-Gin. What's for breakfast?" He spread the paper out on the scarred table in front of him and pushed his glasses up his nose after they had slid down to the tip.

"Well, it seems that Ron left us eggs, toast, and bacon this morning. That alright with you?" She asked, but she already knew the answer: any food was good with him.

"I suppose that's alright." He was already sunk into the Daily Prophet. The bacon began to crisp and Ginny quickly pulled it out of the pan and placed it, along with a fried egg, onto a plate for her father. She took it over to the table and placed it in front of the preoccupied man, who mechanically picked up his fork and began to eat.

"Toast will be just a minute, dad." She hurried back over to the stove and placed two more slices of bacon into the pan and another egg. As the food cooked, she let her mind wander to the couple down the hill. The trio was soon going to become a little more complicated. What was Harry going to do?

"Oh. Harry." She muttered under her breath to herself. She'd forgotten about Harry coming. That was going to muck up her plans quite a bit.

"What was that dear?" Her father said, looking up from the paper.

"I forgot you were going to pick up Harry today." She reminded herself once again. Arthur nodded, his gaze had returned to the paper, but he was still very interested in the conversation at hand.

"Yes, and I'm leaving in about 20 minutes, so Ron had better wake up soon, or I'll leave without him. Oh, yes, and Hermione. I think Hermione would like to go with us."

Ginny smiled and quickly thought of another plan. "Dad, Hermione disappeared this morning, as did Ron. I don't know where either of them went or when they'll be back. If I forgot about getting Harry today, it's very possible that they both did, as well. I'll go with you to get the Boy-Who-Lived today." She said, using the nickname she had fondly called Harry since she met him.

"If you think so." Mr. Weasley sat the paper down and studied his daughter as she turned off the stove and placed the food onto her plate. Grabbing a fork on her way, she headed over to the table and sat next to her dad. Ginny smiled at him and shoved a piece of egg into her mouth.

After swallowing, she smiled again, "Of course I think so. If both Ron and Hermione are gone, it's likely that they are together, thinking about other things. You know how teenagers are." Ginny turned her attention to her food and finished up in record time. "Let's go, I'm ready. It looks like you are, too." She picked up the plates and forks and dumped them into the sink for the scrub-brush to clean.


End file.
